Informing the family
by celticgothhardy
Summary: Informing the family is the hardest part. What I think happened between Some Buried Bones and Like Water for Murder to explain the episode Taxi. It's rated T for the first chapter. Honestly, if you're used to the show, it's nothing. COMPLETE!
1. Informing the Family

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI NY.  
Summary: Informing the family is the hardest part. (What I think happened between Some Buried Bones and Like Water for Murder to explain the episode Taxi.)

AN: Kind of graphic scene at first.

2nd AN: This is also on csi ny fic over in livejournal. I decided that it might be a good idea to also post this over here.

* * *

They were happy. It was their anniversary and they had just come out of one of the most exclusive restaurants to wait for their car. They acted like a young couple in love, even though they had just celebrated their 25th year together. He graciously held open the door and waited for her to climb in.

The drive back to their home was a quiet one. Even though it was summer, they didn't see very many cars out on the road. They did see one swerve in front of them, filled with loud teenagers. "Aren't you glad he's out of that phase?" she laughed, holding her husband's hand.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't really think he went through it," he commented, looking over to her to make eye contact. That's when a car ran into the four way stop and hit the car head on.

"So, why exactly were we called in?" Lindsay Monroe asked her supervisor, Mac Taylor.

"High profile. Person in the other car is the son of a senator," he answered, going over to the driver's side. The body of the man was laying to the right. Several cuts from the glass was evident, along with a major impact wound to the left side of his skull.

Lindsay walked over to the other side and took some pictures of the passenger seat. The woman had been taken to the hospital to be declared DOA there. "I've got a purse," she announced, going through and pulling out the wallet, "Kristen Garrett. 49 years old."

Mac looked up at the name. "Could you say the name again?"

"Kristen Garrett. Why?"

"Find the man's wallet." Lindsay looked in the glove compartment and found a piece of paper.

"Not a wallet. Owner of the vehicle is Jason Garrett." Mac felt a wave of anguish going through his body and it took all his mental capacity to not bring up his hand and wrench off the gloves.

"All right, let's get to processing." They spent the next hour collecting what they could at the scene before they finally admitted they needed more light to see everything they needed to get off.

Don Flack came over. "Hey Mac, Gerrard wants to see you as soon as you get back to the lab."

"Tell him I'll see him in an hour."

"An hour? I kind of think he wants to see you ASAP. In fact, that's what he said to me."

Mac thought a moment while gathering his stuff and taking off his gloves. "Tell him I'll see him in an hour." He had already made up his mind.

"What should I tell him?"

"I'm informing the family of their loss."

--

He wasn't asleep. No, the energy drinks he had an hour earlier were still doing their job. He sat at his desk, trying to memorize the last section needed for his class and the exam the next morning. He heard the banging on the door and winced as the sound punctured his head. "Okay, too much caffeine. Or is it that guanine stuff?" he mumbled, walking over to the door. He looked up at his late night visitor. "Mac, what are you doing here?" he asked, slightly off guard at the man at his door.

"Reed, maybe you should sit down," Mac avoided.

"Why, what's going on?" Reed didn't move from the door frame.

Mac breathed deeply for the next words. "Your parents were in a car accident. Your father died at the scene and..." he said before getting interrupted.

"No. No. No," Reed repeated, falling forward at the words that came out of Mac's mouth. Mac caught him on his way to the ground and he had to help him back to the only bed in the room. He was going to grab the chair at the desk when he noticed two hands keeping him back. Mac looked into the face that had gone from just turned twenty-one to fourteen years old.

"Reed." He pulled himself up and flung his arms around him. Mac hesitated just like at the funeral before completing the hug. He stood there while Reed used his shoulder to cry on for the next half-hour.

--

"Taylor!" someone yelled. Mac Taylor caught a glimpse of Gerrard through the glass of his office. "I said I wanted to see you As Soon As Possible, not When You Could Get Here," he finished as Mac set down his stuff and took off his jacket.

Mac turned to look him straight in the eye and showed he wasn't lying. "I was informing the family."

"You could have sent Detective Flack."

"Why exactly are you here, Gerrard?"

"This case is to be held high. We can't let anything happen that would jeopardize this case. Everything is to be double tested. You also must have solid proof of anything before going after Kevin Edforns. His lawyers have already started calling."

"It's nothing new. Anything else?"

"How did the family take it?"

"Poorly."

* * *

Reed please. No really, where's Reed? He should be on the show this season. We need to see fallout.

Get off my case. I'm doing a movie.

No excuse. No soup for you. (:)

The soup nazi and the ninja emoticon? What is wrong with you?

Nothing. (Read please. Review pretty please.)


	2. Informing the Family 2

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI NY.

Summary: Informing the family only leads to problems

* * *

One more piece of evidence. They already had a strong case against Kevin Edforns. His breathalyzer read .1 at the scene. There was an open bottle with his fingerprints and his saliva. His blood was in the driver's seat, still wet from the head wound he received. Paint transfers on both the cars came back to each other. The last piece that would drive the point home was that he was driving on a suspended license, because ten weeks earlier, he had been caught drinking and had almost hit someone.

Then the circus started. The Edforns were fighting to keep their son out of prison. They fought and won the right to have him released on bail. Their son was with them, safe and sound.

Another son, however, was crying in the arms of the man who had married his biological mother. Reed had gone over to Mac's apartment after he heard the news. He wanted to know why he had been allowed out. Mac wasn't able to give any answers.

"I've become a magnet of people dying," he mused, holding the glass of water that Mac had gotten him.

"Reed, why do you think that?"

"First Mom, then Brian, then my parents. All of a sudden, death seems to happen more around me."

"Reed, you can't think that."

"It's true. Maybe if I had never been born, Mom and Brian and my parents..." He was on the verge of breaking down. Mac, for the first time, gave him a hug. Reed sobbed into his shoulder while trying to stay up by using Mac as a weight.

===/========

The funeral was on a cloudy day. Reed knew about the myth that burying the dead on a rainy day helped the spirits move to heaven. He didn't believe in it as much as his parents, but his parents had requested that their funerals be held on a rainy day. No one wanted to be out in that weather, however, and they held the ceremony before the clouds let go.

He was wearing a suit he hadn't wanted to wear so soon for a solemn occasion. He stared at the ground while the minister read from the book. None of his other relatives could make it on short notice, so friends of his parents were the ones filling the seats. Mac sat next to him. He had an arm around his shoulders while he also joined in the staring game.

"Come on, Reed. Everyone's leaving," Mac said, bringing him out of his self induced trance of staring at the ground. He simply nodded and walked out with Mac at his side.

The media circus had followed to the cemetery. Many photographers were trying to take photos of the young man and more than one had been blocked by Mac. Several reporters were trying to ask questions, which Mac replied with a no comment each time. The ringleader of the circus wanted some real reactions.

Standing next to the exit of the cemetery were the Edforns. Senator Robert Edforns was in a dark gray suit. His wife was in a black dress and their son, Kevin, was in a black suit that mirrored Reed's. At least one camera crew knew of the planned meeting. They were in the back, the anchor standing to the side.

"Reed Garrett. I'm sorry about your loss," Mr. Edforns said, holding out his hand. Reed took it and shook a couple of times before moving back next to Mac. "I'm sorry for what my son has done. He shouldn't have been out that night."

Reed kept his mouth shut, not sure if he could control the anger he felt. "Yeah, maybe next time I'll have to take my girlfriend on her offer," the young man commented. Reed noticed that he looked familiar, then he placed him. He was at a party where Reed had been trying to get information on people that took tests for others. "He was one of the ones that had the tests taken for him. He would hire guys like Brian," Reed thought. Painful memories flashed forward and he bowed his head to keep his tears hidden.

"Mac, can we get out of here? I don't like this," he whispered to Mac. Mac nodded, and resumed leading Reed out of the cemetery and through the media circus.

"Dad, what do you think?" Kevin asked.

"I think we may have ourselves a mistrial. We have to play it right though."

===/==========

"Taylor! What the hell is this?" Gerrard yelled, slamming the latest edition of the New York Times on his desk. It showed Mac and Reed at the funeral.

"Reed Garrett was a victim on a case a few weeks ago. We've kept in contact and he asked me to be there for the funeral."

"You know what this shows? It shows a personal connection to the victims. You knew them!"

"I met the parents briefly as I informed them of their son's attack. There was nothing after that."

"Edforns asking for all the evidence that you processed to be declared unusable in court."

"He'll need a better reason. One meeting is not enough to establish personal connections with a victim."

Gerrard breathed deeply before going on to the next part. "If there's anything else, anything with the victims or their son, the Edforns will be battling to have the evidence thrown out." Gerrard left.

Mac was just calming himself down when Stella walked in. "That's the second time in a week Gerrard's been yelling in here. I think he's going for a record," she tried to joke. Mac didn't reply. "How's Reed?"

"He's been staying over since he can't get any rest at his room. Reporters are knocking on his door."

Stella nodded. "Something bad's going to come out of this, but that doesn't mean something good won't also come out of it."

"What's with the wisdom?" Stella just smiled as the phone started to ring. "Taylor." He listened for a few minutes, listening to the voice on the other end. Stella's smile faded.

"What's going on?"

"The apartment was broken into. Someone attacked Reed."

===/===============

"I'm fine," he insisted to the medic. He was holding an ice pack to his head while a medic looked at the bruises forming on his arm.

"Reed," Mac shouted, making his way over to him.

"Mac, did you come to see the damage?"

"What happened?"

"I was asleep on the couch, heard the door open. I thought it was you, so I went out and saw this guy wearing all black. He started attacking me and I think I got hit in the head because I didn't wake up until he was standing over me," Reed explained, pointing to the medic. "He keeps wanting me to go to the hospital."

"That's probably not a bad idea."

"Mac!"

"Taylor!" someone yelled. Mac groaned internally as Gerrard approached him. "What the hell is going on?"

"Someone broke into my apartment. I wanted to know what was going on."

"That can be done over the phone now." He looked over and noticed Reed sitting in the ambulance. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"He came to look for me and found the apartment. The intruder attacked him."

Gerrard would have continued, if Sheldon Hawkes hadn't come over. "Mac, someone went through one of your cabinets."

"Anything taken?"

"No, but some of the files were laying out. One was concerning your late wife."

Both Mac and Reed looked at him. "What was the file?"

"A birth certificate. There was other things, letters, pictures."

"Great, now they know," Reed said.

"Who knows?"

"Whoever hired the intruder."

"Could you please tell me what is going on?"

Mac thought for a moment. Reed stood up and face Gerrard. "My mother was Claire Conrad Taylor."

* * *

Hmmm.

Aren't you supposed to be doing a movie?

What? Can't I have some time off?

(:) (Hit upside the head.)

What was that for?

I felt like it. (Read please. Review pretty please.)


	3. Informing the Family 3

Disclaimer: I don't CSI NY.

Summary: Informing the family doesn't compare to the grief of everyone finding out about the family out after.

* * *

Robert Edforns looked over the copies of the papers his private detective had collected. He didn't worry about the illegal way he had gotten them; the lowest man had been cut out and was now sunk at the bottom of the Hudson. "Birth certificate for Claire Conrad, it was a boy," he noted, going through the others. He came across the adoption papers.

Kevin entered as he was going through the marriage papers. "Anything good?" he asked, holding a bottle of water.

"If we can make a direct connection to Mac Taylor and Reed Garrett, we should be able to get the evidence he processed out."

"How much of the evidence did he process?"

"About seven of the pieces. There is thirty overall."

"That makes it go from a full out conviction to a possibility of a hung jury. Pretty good," he said, "So what's the connection?"

"Let's let the PI figure that one out." He set the papers down and gave into a glass of scotch.

====/=================

Reed refused to go back to his apartment. He wanted to stay with Mac until they had whoever broke into his apartment. He didn't want to go to the hospital after the medic said he didn't see any sign of a concussion. So Mac took him back to the lab, where he took two aspirin and slept on the couch.

Mac was in the conference room with Gerrard sitting in one of the chairs. He chose to stand as he was addressing the attorney prosecuting the case. "Stella Bonasera will be replacing me as the lead in this case. All the evidence that I have processed will be retried," Mac reported.

"What is the reason for this change?" the attorney asked.

"It's something that shouldn't be brought up," Gerrard filled in.

"As much as I would like to say you don't have to tell me, I do need to know if it affects this case."

"Three hours ago, Detective Taylor's apartment was broken into. Several papers were discovered that would lead into providing a link between him and the victims," Gerrard gave.

"What is this possible link? Are they relatives?"

"Reed Garrett is the biological son of my late wife," Mac shortly explained.

The attorney pinched the bridge between the eyes. "I won't reveal the details unless it comes to that. I'll just state that you had a personal connection to the case. Is that all?"

Both men nodded and the attorney left the room. "What are you going to do?" Gerrard asked.

"Stella's already moving ahead. I'll go over her case and if I'm not needed, then I'll take on another case."

"I meant about him."

"He's going to stay at his apartment. I'll stay with Flack."

====/===================

"I don't get why you can't still be on the case," Reed said.

"We don't want to give the defense a reason for a mistrial. We can't try him again," Mac replied. He was driving to Reed's department. He only had three hours left on his shift and Gerrard didn't want to, as he put it 'see his ass for twenty-four hours.' Mac was going to get Reed settled, then at a safe time, go over to Flack's to get an hour of shuteye before going off into his schedule like normal.

Several students were heading out the other way when they walked up. "Hey, Impulse, want to join us? We're going to the game," one of the guys asked.

"No thanks Cyborg. I'm going to stay in," he replied.

"Come on, Impulse," another guy whined.

"No, Aquaman, I don't feel like it today. Maybe next week," he said. Both guys moaned but went and joined the group.

"Impulse?" Mac asked.

"The guys really liked the Smallville episode Justice. They named each other Vic and AC, Cyborg and Aquaman. They saw me and said I looked so much like Bart Allen, aka Impulse, that's what they nicknamed me." Reed opened the door and closed it after Mac came in.

"I thought you had a TV." Reed pulled aside a checkered blanket to show a small TV. On top was a circular wooden board.

"I was trying to impress a girl. It didn't work out so well." Mac laughed and they both sat on the couch while watching a movie on TV.

====/====================

"No," Reed moaned. Mac was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard Reed talking. He looked over to him and saw Reed had turned the arm of the couch into a pillow. He must have fallen asleep awhile ago. Now, he was moving in his sleep and dangerously close to hitting Mac.

Mac moved in front of Reed. "Reed, Reed, wake up," he whispered, shaking his shoulder. Reed woke and would have jumped forward if Mac hadn't kept him in place.

Reed collapsed on himself. "I see them. I see them and they're blaming me for their deaths. Brian says if I wasn't going to write the article, Eddie wouldn't have had the need to kill him. Mom and Dad blame me for having them be out on the road that night." He held his head in his hands while he shed more tears. Mac sat back on the couch and pull Reed into a hug, rubbing his arm while he let out the rest of his emotions. "Thanks, Mac."

"For what?"

"For being there. I'm acting like a kid and you have to deal with me..."

"Didn't you know? College is now an extension on your childhood," Mac weakly joked. Reed let out a short laugh. "You're not acting like a kid. You're acting like anyone else that has to deal with losing people close to them." Reed freed his other arm for a moment to put it around Mac's shoulders, creating an awkward complete hug.

They sat like that for a couple of minutes before Reed said, "I don't know about you, but I feel like something to eat."

Mac smiled. "Yeah, lets order some pizza." Reed went over to grab the phone when there was a knock at the door. "That was quick."

"Yeah, must be the next psychic delivery system. 30 seconds or your pizza's free." Reed went over to the door.

A man not older than himself was standing at the door. "Reed Garrett?"

"Yeah," Reed hesitated, looking back to Mac. He got up and moved over to Reed.

"You've been served. I need your signature on the dotted line." He handed over a stack of papers that were folded. A clipboard with a stringed pen and several sheets were shoved into his face. He then noticed the other person. "Detective Taylor. What a day, I thought I was going to have to go across town for this. You have also been served. I also need your signature." Mac signed the papers and they both waited for the man to leave.

Reed read his first, backing up against the wall and sliding down it with each reading. "Reed, what is it?"

He looked up at Mac. "He wants us to testify. Kevin Edforns wants us to testify."

* * *

(Reading over the chapter.)

(Getting annoyed.) You're taking too long.

How am I taking too long?

You are.

Right. (Stealing my bag of Pixy Stixs.)

Forbidden territory. Unhand the pixy stixs.

I wonder what would happen if these disappeared.

Wanna disappear with them?

(Throws the bag back at me.) You're scary.

Thank you. (Read please. Review pretty please.)


	4. Informing the Family 4

D: I don't own _CSI NY_.

Summary: The final part. Very short. Well, the real part is.

* * *

"You and Detective Taylor responded to the call?" the defense attorney asked Lindsay.

"Yes."

"When Detective Taylor found out that the victims were related to Mr. Garrett, what exactly did he do?"

"He continued with his work. Collected the evidence."

"Did he ever take anything from Mr. Edforns or the other car and plant it..."

"Objection!"

"I'll start over. Did Detective Taylor ever go over to Mr. Edforns or the car he was driving?"

========================/============================/========================

"Well, that was a waste of time," Reed sulked as they sat outside of the courtroom, waiting for the jury to make their decision.

"You never know, Reed. They may just taking longer than normal. Going over everything twice," Flack opted, standing on the other side of the hall.

"Yeah, right. After everything they've heard today."

"They have no reason not to send him, Reed," Mac commented. Everyone stayed quiet on that until the bailiff came back out to let them back in.

"In the matter of the People versus Kevin Edforns on the charge of vehicular manslaughter, we find the defendant not guilty." Reed hung his head after this. Mac kept listening after to hear of anything else. Kevin only got a fine for DUI.

"Mac, I hate to say it," Reed whispered.

"Come on," Mac toned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Let's go get some pizza and head back to your campus."

* * *

Okay, so that was the real ending. This part is COMPLETE CRACK! The new fandom that I have recently gotten into wanted to put things right. Also, AU for the fandom.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Torchwood_.

=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=

The steps outside of the courthouse were teeming with reporters waiting to ambush the Edforns. As soon as they walked out, questions were being thrown at them from all sides. Robert stepped up to answer everything.

"Senator, what will happen now that your son has two DUIs on his license?" someone shouted out.

"He'll be taking over some of the aspects of the family business?"

"Now, would that be? The impregnating humans with spawn or the cloning of the world's leaders to replace and take over the world?" A voice at the bottom of the steps yelled. Jack Harkness was holding his Webley a safe distance from his body but not pointed at them. His cue wasn't taken by Gwen and Owen, who had their weapons pointed at them.

"Last time I checked, Torchwood didn't have any power over in the States," Kevin yelled back.

"You tried replacing the Queen. She got us access," Owen responded, holding the gun a little higher.

Robert looked over at Kevin. "The Queen? You know she was connected to Torchwood still. Why did you even try?"

Kevin looked abashed. "Taking out the enemy early."

"This enemy you would take out late. You need to really know the difference. We're going over this again at home."

"No, you're not," Jack stated. Several shots rang out. People ducked for cover and ran back into the building. The Edforns, in their attempt to either get away or attack the people back, had turned into figures around seven feet tall and were slightly bent forward that made them have similar characteristics to werewolves. Gunshot wounds were present on the bodies as Mac saw when he got up after knocking down Reed.

"Owen, get Gwen and Tosh to help you out in getting the bodies back to the temporary storage unit. Ianto, go with plan C," Jack ordered. He watched the people slowly starting to get up.

Reed stood next to Mac. "I wonder what's plan C."

Mac nodded, then walked down to the man. "Detective Mac Taylor, NYPD," he announced, "Just what the hell is going on?"

Jack gave the man a lookover. Not bad. "That was another world's answer to the werewolf. Only instead of changing every full moon, they change at will and can also become chameleons. Not really smart, most of them. Sometimes you'll get a smart one."

"And what exactly is plan C?"

"Sorry, can't tell ya." Jack opened the door to a waiting SUV while the other three were getting into the back.

Reed stood slightly behind Mac. "That scares me."

"Yeah."

* * *

Okay, so again, CRACK!

Also, I'm trying out my talents on trying to write the characters of Torchwood since I have some good ideas. Review please and tell me whether to try my hand at Torchwood or keep back and let someone else write itl.

Aren't you forgetting something?

What am I forgetting?

Uh, me.

Right, they won't even bring you back until season sixth. I'm annoyed at you.

But, the movie I'm in is coming at the end of the month.

Yeah, that only makes up for Smallville. At least for me. Some others might be more forgiving.

_Now, now kids. Play nice._

Who is he?

(The sound of a head hitting cement bricks can be heard at this story heads out.)


End file.
